


Not Your Average Priestess

by PestyBandit



Category: House of Night - P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Genre: Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:09:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PestyBandit/pseuds/PestyBandit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thisbe Gecko is not know for playing suck up so when she shows up to the House of Night and becomes Zoey Redbird's new roommate more than a few feathers are ruffled. Thisbe wants nothing more than to return to her love but when she starts showing some new and interesting affinities she immediately catches the eyes of Neferet and the disdain of the Nerd Herd. Set in 2015.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Yo, Be, you got the money?"

"Yeah, right here, Jimmy. Where's my shit?"

Sixteen-year-old Thisbe stood in the middle of a shitty apartment in an even shittier part of town with eight hundred dollars in the back of her high-waisted jean shorts waiting to buy an ounce of bud for her and her soul mate cooking back home. Be's skin was deeply tan, legs thick with a meaty rear end and breasts large underneath a visible black bra underneath a loose tie-dye muscle t-shirt with some summer camp from the 80's logo still on it. Her two-toned hair sat curled up into a messy bun on top of her head and slung on her shoulder was an old knapsack that made for easy transport. She had on her lucky converses that in three months had not gotten her stopped by any suspicious or horny officers. Her nose ring glistened in the light coming in through the cracks of the broken blinds slung over the open windows.

"Hold on, take a seat and don't move," Jimmy ordered, motioning toward the U-Shaped couch situated around the TV and coffee table.

Thisbe nodded and walked around the end to plop into the beaten down cushion that made it easier to sink and relax into her surroundings. She looked to the TV that was playing CNN and rolled her eyes away from the grim news. She caught a brief scent of something in the air and called out, "Is that cookies I smell? When did you start making Edibles?"

"They're not," she heard him call from the back room that she never ventured to and never wanted to venture to. Jimmy was cool but he wasn't that cool and she would never do anything to hurt her Pyramus.

"Oh," she shrugged as she leaned forward to look at the contents of the coffee table. On top sat a cool looking Zippo engraved with a nice design and she was tempted to take the thing but she knew something like that would not go unnoticed and she didn't want any tension between her and their guy. "If you do start making Edibles you know me and Ram are totally down for a bite."

"Of course you are," he smiled as he emerged from the room with a large party box of Gushers that she knew contained her real prize, "Y'all are my best customers."

She rolled her eyes, "Y'all."

He chuckled and she dropped the cash on the table as she opened her knapsack and grasped the box to place it inside, "It's gonna be a little tight for a while now. There's a snowstorm coming so my shipments have been gettin' weak."

"Snow? It's eighty outside?" she questioned, glancing out the window as she tied the bag's end and flopped over the top to lock it in place.

"No, it's thirty. And you're fucking crazy. My intel never lies anyway," he nodded his head solemnly (she thought it must be the fever then that's been sneaking up on her) before reaching out of his back pocket and throwing a seemingly normal water bottle, "By the way, that's on the house."

She unscrewed the top and took a whiff of the liquid, "What is it?"

"Water! Shit, you're worse than Ram," he laughed but she gave him the finger and headed for the door, "I'll see you in a few months, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," she opened the door, "I'll see y-"

"Maritza Jimena Rodriguez!"

The voice thundered through out her entire being as she gazed into the eyes of the vampyre standing before her.

"Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee, hearken to her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night."

"Shit."


	2. Chapter 2

The savory smell of Chicken Tikka Masala welcomed Thisbe as she entered the apartment she shared with her one true love: Pyramus. She had discovered it was her favorite meal after sharing it for the first time at Ram's old home when she had first met his parents a long long time ago. After they had left though he surprised her by cooking it for her after they had gathered enough money to do some food shopping and well after they had actually gotten an apartment. The wonderful thing about the Chicken Tikka Masala and Ram was that he never cooked it unless he knew she was having a particularly terrible day…he just always knew.

"Baby!" he called from the kitchen, "Dinner's almost done! Just relax and pack a bowl. I've got a surprise for you!"

"Oh," she smiled falsely, "I've got a surprise for you."

The apartment was tiny but not in a "this is all we could afford" way but in a "this is all we need" way. Which was convient since that was all that fit in the $0 a month budget they had. The floors were all hard wood though Be had managed to convince him they needed a beautiful luscious rug for the entertainment area. It was black and was like shag carpeting except it was soft to the touch and always seemed to be flowing and bouncing. The sofa itself they got on craigslist—a "classic" crimson job that was just a love seat and a pull out—the TV she had brought with her from her old room at her parents—a rather handsome Smart TV that was quite a bitch to bring up the three flights of stairs—and the coffee table they found on the side of the road. She slipped off her shoes and made her way across the black sea, savoring the last feel she might ever have of the thing.

The TV was on YouTube playing one of her favorite bands but she couldn't focus on the music or the comforts of the old couch underneath her. She couldn't even focus on the bowl that sat in front of her with their own Zippo that she had carved with their initials and the date of their anniversary on it. She sighed almost angrily as she reached forward and began packing the bowl with the last bit of weed they had left. She shuddered at the thought of never doing that again. The simple action that was so mechanical to her now. Could she get away with that kind of thing at the Hell House?

"Close your eyes."

She shuddered as she heard his voice directly on her neck. She mumbled quietly, "Okay, you close your eyes too."

Her lids shut as she began to turn around but before she could she felt the thin metal of a necklace fall around her throat. Her eyes snapped open and she looked down to see a beautiful locket with a space and stars theme thing on top of it. She lifted it up and examined the beautiful colors and the way the stars in the sky were organized and before she could ask he answered, "That was the way the universe was positioned on the night we met. Open it up."

His chin rested delicately on her shoulder as his arms reached around to hold onto her though the couch was between them. She did as he said and opened the locket and gasped happily at the sight. On one side was a picture of them as children and on the other side was a recent picture that they shared. She closed the thing and looked to the back and right there, inscribed, was a simple quote from a simple poem that just happened to be their favorite: " _for love are in you am in i are in we_ "

"Do you like it?"

She was crying, soft tears that made no sound but suddenly she could not control the silence of it and her body began to jerk. She shook her head slowly but stopped immediately when she realized what he might think that means. Instead she swallowed hard and with eyes squeezed shut she turned around to look at him and heard his awful gasp, "Don't hate me. It's not my fault."

"No!" he screamed as his arms grasped and pulled her into him. Ram was a strong guy, not strong with huge muscles but strong in the sense that he could hold his own body weight and even hold onto hers while climbing up a tree, and so he easily grabbed her off of the sofa so he could hold her against him. He shook his head crazily—he was a good foot taller than her—as he mumbled against tears, "No, no, FUCK no. Not you. Not you. I can't fucking lose you. No. Not you."

She dug her face into his chest as she cried, "I love you so much, please don't be mad at me. I wanted to run away but he just fucking found me at Jimmy's and I don't know! I'm so sorry!"

"This isn't fair! I need you! I need you!" he nearly shrieked as he held her against him and she could feel his body vibrating as if it were about to crumble apart and she felt like she were going to crumble with him.

"I need you too! I need you too!" she cried as she hid her face in his chest and whispered, "I'm not fucking going. I just won't go."

"If you don't go you'll die," he whispered.

She shook her head, "I don't care. I'll die anyway."

"Baby."

He grabbed her face and positioned it so that her large brown eyes could stare into his light green and when she did she felt her body shivering. She hated to see him cry and hated to see him so upset and she thought she would fall apart that second if he didn't give her his gentle smile. Pyramus had dark, dark skin and long black hair that he let fall in long waves against the back of his neck and shoulders and when she stared at him she got the feeling that he was a gentle god that would fly away at any second if only he could. She took in a deep breath and whispered, "Babe."

Ram crushed her against him again but this time it wasn't so terrible, it wasn't so dooming like the world was crashing around them though she knew it really was, "When do you have to go?"

"I don't know…soonish? Maybe one night and then I've got to go?" she answered with uncertainty. It had never happened to anyone she knew. She wasn't sure how things went and the Tracker didn't stick around to give her any idea of what to do.

"Alright, we have one last night. One big blow out. I made your favorite and we'll get so fucking high and we'll just…we'll never let each other go. Alright?" he was putting on his falsely cheery voice and she hated it but she knew they needed this. She knew she had to go or she would die and if she died then he would die and if she had it her way neither of them would die. And so they needed their last night together to make it easier to say goodbye.

"Alright," she nodded and looked down at the locket that hung around her neck, "Why'd you give me this?" He shook his head, "I don't know. I just thought it'd be something nice to do."

"Yeah," she gave him a sad smile, "It was a fucking nice thing to do."

For the rest of the evening Thisbe and Pyramus did not leave each other's arms. Sure, they would move to go this way or that but always with an arm draped around the other. They ate every last drop of what Ram had made and they smoked every last bit of the old weed and even just a bit of the new. They fooled around—they wanted to wait until marriage for actual sex but that didn't stop them from enjoying each other's body—and showered together and packed all of Be's things—well only half of her things since they decided she would leave half of her stuff and take half of his so that in some way, shape, or form they were still together—which also included his bluing one-hitter and half the brick she had retrieved (she left him her favorite butterfly bowl). They did it all while they hugged and talked nonstop. It was a beautiful sending off until the strange thing occurred.

Be and Ram had gotten to that point where they just couldn't get any higher and so they sat nestled in each other's arms on the couch watching Reno 911 or something funny like that. Her head was on his shoulder and she whispered, "Let's take one last hit."

He nodded quietly while they untangled and handed her the giant green bong with the nature stickers along the sides. She had started feeling sick and sad and tired and knew that meant she needed to get the House of Night soon but the morning would come soon enough. She grabbed the Zippo and held it gently in her hand, staring at the engraving, before she placed her mouth to the thing and let her rip. The bong was at a perfect length so that it wasn't too large but it was just long enough the smoke would cool down on it's trip into her lungs and usually that made for a perfect hit but something went wrong this time. Suddenly she began to have a coughing fit.

"Baby? Baby are you okay?" Ram questioned, immediately sensing something was wrong. He handed her the water bottle that was sitting on the table and when she began to take a sip everything…suddenly…cooled…

After what felt like ten hours Thisbe opened her eyes and found herself in a cave that she couldn't recall. It was old and underground but the sound of a spring near by and the sight of ancient flowers growing along the walls made her feel instantly at peace and at home. She wanted to call out but instead of words from her chest erupted a beautiful and glowing silver stream that beckoned her to follow and so she did. Further into the cave light began to appear but it wasn't the light of a lantern…it was the light of something far more enchanting. Thisbe had been so busy looking around she didn't realize the length of the stream was growing thinner until she looked forward again and saw that she had come to a dead end and at the dead end sat a stunning woman waiting for her.

Thisbe wanted to ask who she was but before she could the stream attached itself to the chest of the woman and suddenly it transformed into a brilliant light that filled her with so much she could hardly believe it was all real…because she knew the difference between a bad trip and actuality and this was all happening in the real world. The woman's eyes were shut and she looked so at peace but what was strange is that though the woman was beautiful Thisbe could not get a grasp on what she actually looked like because her features seemed to always change. First she was young, then she was old, then she was black, then she was Asian, then she was Indian, then she was Native American, then she was a child, and then she became all these things at once and it was just impossible to understand.

The stream hummed inside of her and she knew that she didn't have to.

"Your name is Maritza Jimena but you prefer to be called Thisbe, am I wrong?" the woman questioned in a voice that sounded too much like spirit.

"No," she nodded. "You're right."

"Do you know what I am?"

Thisbe was silent. She gazed at the woman and had the answer inside of her chest but she could not make it come out of her mouth. The answer was inside of her—she was the vampyre goddess—but her mouth stayed still. Thisbe got the feeling that her answer was very simple and there was more to it than that, way more to her than just her lineage. She was Nyx, living personification of night, and she was who the vampyre's worshipped but there was more. And it was only when Thisbe looked beyond her changing features to the expression that they were set. Thisbe almost felt herself cry as she whispered, "You're sad."

Her brilliant eyes flashed open as she nodded her head, "I am. I have seen the future and it is a terrible place. So much death and destruction. So much pain and heartbreak. My children will be turned away from me and the ones that stay will be executed in another's name. I have such strong children that I have already sent before you to defeat the evil but this will take more than strength…this will take sweetness and understanding that only you can bring."

She was silent. The brief phrase me, _I'm just a stupid girl_ flashed across her mind but she knew that wasn't true. She was so much more and she didn't need anything or anyone to prove it. Even if she hadn't been Marked or wasn't in the presence of Nyx she was a woman and that was all she needed to know she could handle anything before her. That was it. So she swallowed lightly and asked, "What would you have me do?"

"It is not that simple," Nyx smiled warmly and suddenly light appeared to her left and right and it was then that she could see two long tunnels she had not noticed before. One was dim and one was light and they seemed to stretch out into infinity as she stretched out her arms in each direction, "There are two paths that will come before you and when that time comes it is your choice what actions you take. What ever you decide, I will always be with you fore once I give a gift I never take it back."

Her hands dropped down and she leaned forward to grasp Thisbe's palms and suddenly the light stream between them began to grow brighter and brighter until she couldn't see. She felt the gentle kiss of the woman on her forehead as she whispered, " _For love are in you am in i are in we_."


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Thisbe noticed when she began to creep back into consciousness was that it smelled way too clean for her to be back at home. Sure, there were lovely fragrances like vanilla—her favorite—and cinnamon and a lot of warm scents that made her feel all nice and cozy but she knew it wasn't her place. Her place smelled like straight up reefer and though she thrived on the beautifully thick aroma of marijuana she knew there was no other place that had that weed on weed on weed smell. She understood then she could only be one place and one place only. The Tulsa House of Night.

That realization made her want to leap out of whatever bed she laid upon but something cold stopped her. She felt surrounded by warm and plushy blankets but still there was this freezing slime that folded over her in rolling waves. It wasn't a physical thing, she knew that, but it felt real like when you just _know_ someone is starin-

That's what it was!

Someone was watching her sleep and unlike that absolutely pleasurable stare of Pyramus the eyes that belonged to this person were on a different level. The thought of someone watching her and infringing upon her privacy to free-sleep made her skin crawl. The high had totally and completely vanished so she could do nothing against the shudder that rattled through out her bones. If Ram were there, she thought, he would immediately get to breaking skulls or some passive communication and she would take his lead. He always knew what to do.

"She's awake."

Thisbe's eyes flashed open and she immediately hurled herself at the voice that sang to her heart, "Ram! Fuck! I thought I was here alone! Shit! What the shit happened?"

His arms held her tight against him but something was wrong. She pulled back and looked at his face and could see he had been crying though in the room he was a strong force that could not be questioned. And yet he still felt so afraid.

"Ram?"

"Ms. Rodriguez?"

Thisbe's head whipped around to see a woman standing there with cold eyes that quickly transformed into a loving and welcoming stare. Be swallowed hard and stared at the woman as she questioned, "Who are you?"

"My name is Neferet," she smiled. It was obvious she was important. She was stunning and ageless and had a body that would not quit and a face to match. Her long auburn hair fell down in waves while a single braid wrapped around her head to make it look like some sort of crown and it definitely worked. "I am the High Priestess here at the Tulsa House of Night."

"You passed out and you wouldn't wake up. I was scared shitless. I brought you here."

Ram spoke in short, clipped sentences that went outside the norm of his usual levels of communication. It was absent of any emotions and when she looked at him she could see his eyes definitely matched. His body shivered when she spoke, "It was the right choice. Often newly Marked fledglings assume they have more time than they can afford but it is quite dangerous to stay away from the House of Night. You could very well have died."

"Yeah, I…never knew anyone that had been Marked. I didn't think it was a big deal," Thisbe tried to answer calmly but knowing Ram was scared made it nearly impossible to concentrate. She turned toward him, "Thank you."

He opened his mouth to speak but the woman—Neferet—cut him off, "I am so sorry to cut this reunion off but unfortunately this is a very unfamiliar…situation we find ourselves in. Usually a family member brings the young fledgling to us and that way we are able to escort the human around the school and show them where their loved one will be staying however we have strict rules against, um, boyfriends being allowed on the premises so soon after being Marked."

"My parents died when I was ten. He's the only family I have," Thisbe responded angrily, her hold on him not loosening.

"No, it's okay," Pyramus suddenly spoke, pulling away slightly so that he can get a better look into Thisbe's eyes, "She explained the way visitation's work. I can come see you sometimes and you can come see me. You just can't be away for more than a day. You just need to stay here for a week, get the lay o' the land. We can talk to each other any time we want. I'll call you here at the school, alright?"

Be was quiet as she looked into this sudden stranger. She would have been offended but she knew he wasn't hiding from her he was hiding from Neferet. Thisbe wanted to shout and say "no" that she wouldn't allow him to leave for one second but something in his eyes told her that she couldn't say anything she wanted to. Something strange was happening and she had to be on her toes and she needed him to be safe. Safe was in her arms…safe was in their apartment.

"I'm sorry, Marit-"

"My name is _Thisbe,_ " she hissed.

That cold returned to her eyes as she put on a false smile, "Wonderful. Most vampyres change their name when they enter the House of Night. You appear one step ahead of everyone else in more ways than one."

"What?" she paused and looked to Ram who reached his hand up and with his thumb traced her Mark. 

He looked into her eyes with a frown, "It's filled in."

"What the _fuck_?" 

Neferet's cold gaze suddenly became dry like a desert as she reached for a hand mirror that sat upon the side table. She turned it over and watched cunningly as Thisbe's eyes went huge in the mirror. The Mark that she had only glanced at before had become prominent and deep at the center of her forehead. Somehow her already dark features became darker and darker though her skin was paler—but it did seem to be coming back from a sickly shade. Even though everything was different she did enjoy the way the lavender looked in her black hair and somehow it made the dark blue of the crescent moon bring it all together. 

"Hm…pretty cool," Thisbe shrugged. 

"Yeah, but it's not that cool," Pyramus shook his head. 

"Why?" she questioned, looking from him to Neferet. 

"You are one of the only two fledglings in history to have an already filled in Mark," she answered, the dryness of her stare becoming moist with something that looked like wild anticipation.

"And who's the other person?"  Thisbe lamely asked.

"Your new roommate."


	4. Chapter 4

Saying goodbye to Pyramus was the single hardest thing Thisbe had ever had to do. His face was a mask that hid from Neferet all the things that only Be was allowed to see but his eyes were brilliantly lit with sparkles that she knew she reflected. They were silent for a moment; letting their bodies fill in the space their words would take up. Her heart thundered inside of her chest and she could feel his doing the same as if they were trying to run away with each other and she wished they could. Next they kissed. It was only supposed to be one and then it turned to five and then to ten until Neferet coughed and made it known how uncomfortable it was to watch them. The last part of their goodbye was a good five minutes of straight squeezing each other and then it was the melancholy.

They didn't say anything, they only smiled weakly and then he tapped her locket and she tapped that Zippo in his pocket that she knew he always carried. She reached up to peck his nose and he grasped the Muskrat he called her wild bun and then that was it. He pulled away and turned his back to her and walked out of the House of Night…of course not without leaving a little note in her pocket that looked like an ungentlemanly ass grab.

"Well, shall we move along?"

"Whatever."

The walk with Neferet was distinctly different than any walk Thisbe had ever shared with another person. Though their conversation was kept in a pleasant tone she had the strange feeling that the woman was trying to lure Be into taking her side but Thisbe continued the "dumb kid" routine as best as she could. They discussed the rules that were to be followed word for word on campus—though she did say "exceptions could be made"—and about her classes that had already been made up since the art teacher had called dibs—though she did say Mentors could be changed. The whole time Neferet's gaze continued to shift from cold, to warm, to dry and everything in between and Thisbe interpreted that she was going from hating her, to trying to act like she liked her, and then trying to figure out how she could use her. Which was fine with Be because in all honesty she was doing the same thing.

What most people assumed about Thisbe was that either she had some traumatic experience that turned her into a pothead or that she was just some dumb chick under a guy's spell. The truth was that they both came from a middle class family and her parents encouraged her constantly to make her own choices while Ram's parents encouraged him into a mold he just could not fit into. Pyramus was a strong man and a good leader but he couldn't read people quite like Thisbe could. She could always tell when someone was bullshitting or about to screw them over and that got them out of a lot more life-or-death situations than he would like to admit. She also knew how to play people or "play the game" as she called it.

So, Neferet's weirdness wasn't anything new to her and though most people perceived her as a stupid helpless girl she was the exact opposite. And it wasn't until they got to the dorm that she realized the High Priestess knew that. She had paused suddenly and had been staring out into nothing with her pupils vibrating strangely and then she looked down to Thisbe like she realized something she hadn't before.

"You're a smart girl," she paused, "Aren't you?"

Be's brows furrowed as she shrugged, "I suppose that's for me to know and you to find out."

"You have not answered any of my questions, you somehow manage to keep my talking, and right this second you are standing exactly as I am," the woman listed off as if that were the reason for her realization, "You are a smart girl."

Thisbe was silent.

"Why don't I make this easier for the both of us," she smiled but not in a faux way…in an honest to goodness smile as if talking to Thisbe was a breath of fresh air, "I won't ask if the Goddess has visited you because I know she has. She has given you some cryptic mission with vague advice as to how you should accomplish it but the truth is Thisbe you don't have to follow it. Vast changes are on the verge of unfolding and I won't waste my time convincing you that I am your friend because that is not what I want. I don't want a friend and neither do you. What we want are allies and I believe you will need them more than I do."

Be didn't deny the statement. She didn't have friends, she would always say, she only had associates. She relaxed her stance as if to encourage the woman to keep going.

And she did, "The new High Priestess in training is Zoey Redbird, your new roommate and though she is greatly blessed by Nyx she is nothing more than a pain in the ass. Since she came with her Mark colored in she has believed she holds this authority over all of us but now that you are here things will be different. I don't have to wait to see what becomes of you, I already know how gifted you are and that your gifts will keep coming, so trust me when I say that you will be stronger than Zoey Redbird could ever hope to become."

"So what would you have me do?"

"Nothing. Nothing you won't want to, that is. All I ask is that you stand at my side and do not hide your affinities that I have no doubt will explode from you and when people start seeking help from you give it to them. Do not turn anyone away and quickly everyone will understand that you belong at the head of this institution and not Zoey Redbird. And in exchange…" a smirk unfolded from her lips as she glanced down to the locket hanging down her chest and resting at the center of stomach, "I'll make sure you never part from Pyramus again."

The image of the sad woman came to her again and though she knew she would never do anything to upset her she had to consider what Neferet was offering. Being Marked meant four years being away from her love and if she could manage to keep them together any risk she had to take she considered apart of the job. The job, of course, was keeping them both alive. She was about to agree when the door opened and out stepped a brilliant blonde who suddenly made the air turn from warm to static.

"Aphrodite," Neferet had that fakeness plastered over her face once again, "How lovely it is to see you. I'm happy to introduce you to our newest member at the House of Night. This is Thisbe Gecko."

Be smiled as she extended her hand toward the girl for a shake but instead of one all she got was an icy stare that focused totally and completely on her forehead. Thisbe would have taken it offensively but the only thing she could feel screaming at her from the girl was shock and terror and a whole lot of confusion. To top it off her eyeliner looked smudged like maybe she had been crying and had quickly used her hands to wipe her make up back into place.

"Would you do me the honor of escorting her to Zoey Redbird's room?" Neferet asked, appearing suddenly like a disappointed mother.

Aphrodite swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly putting on her own mask of head bitch in charge, "Of course, right this way. I've got things to do and I don't want to be late."

Thisbe nodded with her lips sucked in and brows expanded as if to say "so this is how it's going to be" while she began to follow but she paused at the door and looked to Neferet. She was still for a moment as the façade faded from the High Priestess and they were just two honest people once again. She looked into her eyes and gave her a very promising, "I'll think about it."

To which Neferet gleamed, "You do that."


	5. Chapter 5

As Thisbe followed Aphrodite through the lounge she found it almost impossible to focus on any of the scenery. She was sure everything was cool and lush and extravagant and whatever but the girl in front of her was a sight of her own. She was stunning, same height as Thisbe with long flowing blonde hair and perfect skin. She had a grace about her and the way she walked—no, glided—was mesmerizing. Her clothes were super fancy and she had a body that would not quit and a style to match.

She was a masterpiece and the beauty of her was not her perfection.

Thisbe found quickly that the part she liked most about Aphrodite was how she still held her head high though she was literally about to crack. It was as if Thisbe could see lines running across the girl's body, crossing and crisscrossing with each step as if any force or pressure was enough to chip away at her entire being. She didn't talk to Thisbe and instead had a massive bitch face that couldn't be scrubbed off with a brillo pad but that was nothing. It wasn't an act, it wasn't fake, it wasn't a defense mechanism or anything like that. She had confidence like a sky scrapper and the bod to back it up and yet it was so clearly visible that everything was shattering around her. So clearly that Be could imagine anything the girl grasped would instantly crumble inside of her palms.

"It's here."

She lamely spat but inside of her electric blue eyes Thisbe could clearly see terror shimmering through her pupils. Immediately from the door Be got the vibe that she wouldn't be welcomed and things weren't going to go well if she tried to act like she were. Be wanted to ask Aphrodite how this other "special one" was but she knew better than that. Instead she nodded and rested her hand on the knob, "Alright, see ya."

"Whatever."

It was clear they would get along just fine. In reality Thisbe much preferred that upfront dislike to the back talking that was accustomed to those her age. It was like they found it so much more entertaining to fake kindness than to be totally honest and she did not agree with that. If Thisbe had a problem she made sure the person that caused it knew. No one else but Ram seemed to share this philosophy with her, which was why they got along so well. No games. No games ever.

She rolled her eyes at herself to keep the tears from falling and instead focused on opening the door and slipping inside the room. The window was closed and the lights were off and she immediately noticed the girl on the other side of the room sleeping soundly. A small fur ball lying next to her, hogging the pillow, and Thisbe groaned inside of herself. She didn't like animals and didn't like hair but she supposed she was going to have to get used to it. Along with the sleeping schedule Neferet explained how cats took so kindly to vampyres and they wandered around the school openly and with little regulation. Students were allowed to keep such a pet…if that pet would choose them.

Whatever.

Instead of focusing on the girl she looked to her side of the room that appeared to be totally made up. The bed was decorated with what looked like the world's most comfortable dark blue comforter and a few puffy pillows that could heal any crick in the neck. On the bedside table was a lamp the shape of a tree (adorable) and a stack of brand new sketchbooks and beside it a variety of fancy pencils and charcoals and what not. Along the wall was a HUGE poster that stretched in a large rectangle the same length of the bed. At one end the poster was bright green and depicted a stunning nature seen with animals living freely and in the center was a gorgeous sea and sunset until all the way at the other end was the open space. Thisbe loved everything that was there but the strange thing was that none of it belonged to her.

She stepped out of her shoes and walked to the bed and found a note resting on top of the pillows in someone's perfect handwriting. She immediately cringed at the thought of someone getting all this for her, she wasn't a charity case, but still she had the feeling it came with great intentions. She sighed and began reading the note.

_Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the House of Night!_

_The goddess Nyx has so brilliantly blessed me with fantastic visions of you and what affinities you may develop and so I have took it upon myself to acclimate you to this new foundation. The other teachers have suggested I wait for you to find me but I simply cannot wait for our introductions to begin. I understand you were brought here under an unfortunate circumstance but I take that as no bad omen. As soon as the school day begins I will meet you outside of the girl's dorm and will show you all that is to be yours at once._

_Please, rest up and conserve your energy. It will be a big day for the both of us!_

_Your Mentor Always, Kehinde_

When she finished the note Thisbe wasn't sure if she should be thankful for the kindness of the woman or to be confused by all the joy that seemed to leap off the pages. She wasn't a pessimist but she certainly wasn't the kind of kid that screamed "Oh goodie!" at all the nice things that came her way. She considered herself a realist and whatever happened she faced with no more excitement than a pharmacist. The only thing that made her leap with overwhelmingly strong, positive emotion was the only person that mattered and the only person she would be away from for a week.

Wait!

She kindly folded her Mentor's note and placed it on the side of the table as she pulled out her note from her back pocket and plopped on the bed. It was small and folded tightly but when she opened it she felt a burst of love flow through her at the sight of Ram's handwriting. She shut her eyes and with her free hand fingered the necklace around her neck and the locket as she recalled his chin on her shoulder when he gave it to her. She missed him, obviously, but she knew the faster she got out of this joint the faster they could be together and continue their life as if this was all a stupid nightmare.

Her eyes opened began:

_You've been sleeping for a while and that fucking weirdo just left for the first time in an hour. Idk what's up with her but she doesn't like me and doesn't want me touching you. I think she means to break us up but I don't care. I got us burner phones and hid it in your bag so text me when you can, baby. I love you, with all of my fucking heart. Just hold on and we'll be together soon. We'll pretend none of this shit every happened._

_Forever yours,_

_Pyramus_

Thisbe smiled softly and traced his name in his almost illegible handwriting then folded it back up and quickly worked to hide it inside the locket. The last thing she needed was Neferet to know he'd called her a 'fucking weirdo' and especially if she was trying to break them apart. She needed the High Priestess on her side so she could do what ever she wanted around the school without getting into trouble.

But from the way her Mentor already seemed it looked like they'd be two peas in a pod. Thisbe wasn't the type to take advantage but she needed to see him and she knew she couldn't wait a week. Besides, Kehinde was probably totally down for whatever shenanigans she had up her sleeve. Be wasn't sure how old she was or how long she had been a vampyre but it was already understood that super nice people need people like her to balance them out. She'd probably never done anything bad in her life so sneaking off campus would be a blast. Plus if she had the adult vamp with her she could stay out for longer…this were already starting to look up.

She smiled softly to herself and scooted against the top of the bed so she could dive her legs beneath the large comforter. The bed itself was pretty nice feeling too and she got the feeling the people here didn't mind swinging for the expensive things and that was cool with her. She just hoped the student body was not filled with spoiled assholes. Thisbe was not a happy camper when it came to that kind of attitude and she would isolate herself if that meant she didn't have to be exposed to anyone that might make her rethink her "No Fighting" rule upon entering the school. She wanted to get along as best as she could, she didn't want any trouble.

And speaking of trouble.

She looked at the wall behind her and saw a large window that was big enough for her to jump out of if she needed but was that enough for her to smoke out of without getting in trouble? The way her roommate slept she couldn't make anything out except for long black hair so she had no idea if she would be cool with a little weed around the room. She supposed she could always hide it but what would happen if her roomie came back when she wasn't expected and threw a major bitch fit? Could she get expelled? Would they do that if it meant her death?

A shake of her head reminded her that it was too much to think about for the moment. She knew she had just woken up from a long slumber but the thing about Thisbe was that she could make herself fall asleep at any time and she liked to do it. With Ram she'd sleep like a baby in his arms and if he had to go out and run some errands without her she would go back to sleep until he came back. It was how she got through the tough times and this was no different. She held the locket in her fist and got comfortable in the new bed. It wasn't home but she would make it work, especially if that meant each chunk of rest was a day closer to her soul mate.


	6. Chapter 6

Much to her dismay Thisbe woke up much earlier than her still slumbering roommate. The little cat was gone from the room along with some food that had been laid out but that was all that had been disturbed from the scene. She could hear the sound of steps walking out in the hall and she was at least thankful she wasn't the only one that had risen at such a strange hour. Okay, it wasn't strange but it seemed as soon as Thisbe stepped foot—or as soon as Thisbe had been carried—into the House of Night she immediately became accustomed to the new hours of operation. She was more than sure many of the student body still lay slumbering until the last second and she hoped it was just first day jitters that made her different.

Be threw back the covers and stepped out of the bed so that she could find her first day outfit. Though it was still dark she didn't really mind since one of the perks of being inducted into the a-fledgling-ship was an inhuman ability to see comfortably in what would normally be considered pitch black. Her first thought was to pick out the nicest and most tip-top thing she owned—a nice white dress that made her always tan skin pop—but then she decided against it. She was the type of person that chose comfort over style and she didn't want anyone getting the wrong ideas. She pulled open one of the bureaus that rested on her side and was happily surprised to see her things all neatly packed in a beautiful order (no doubt Kehinde's work).

She pulled out one of Ram's white V-necks and an old pink skirt with dark blue-laced designs. What she loved about the skirt was that it made every outfit look half decent even though it took no effort at all to put on. She grabbed some new undies and her feel good bra—a black thing absent of any padding but with tons of support—and made a quick dash to the bathroom. In there she saw the nice lay out and was happy to see some cool candles laid out that she was certain made any shit storm very comfortable.

The changing happened quickly but what took a while was for her to grow accustomed to the dark blue crescent moon in the middle of her forehead. As Thisbe had first noticed it made her look pretty cool, what with her two-toned hair and all. The roots and most of the top half of her hair was her natural black but the rest fell in classy waves of lavender bliss she absolutely fell in love with randomly over the summer. Her hair was long and fell down to the center of her butt and while usually it looked good enough to leave alone she decided she wanted to do something different. A quick fishtail did the trick though and while she brushed her teeth she noticed the light outside turn on.

Neferet's words rang briefly threw her mind but she knew better than anyone to not let someone else's opinions shape a person. Be would meet this Zoey Redbird and decide for herself just how they would get along. Of course she would follow the other part of the High Priestess' advice but she wouldn't let her dictate what she thought of the girl that she would be sleeping with from now on.

With her clothes in a tight ball in one hand she opened the door and paused.

"Whoa."

The two girls whispered to themselves. Thisbe was amazed at the sight of the tattoos extending down the fledglings face and neck. She had to do a quick double take because it appeared her lace designs matched the blue on her skirt but it just couldn't be. She had gotten the old thing years ago at a thrift shop and had never seen another thing like it. The glyphs were missing from the fabric hanging above her knees but the design was just enough for her to take notice. This was going to be weird.

Thisbe shook off the shock and extended her free hand, "I'm Thisbe Gecko, sorry, your tats look like my skirt. I was just a little thrown off."

"Zoey Redbird," the girl whispered as she shook her hand and glanced at what Be had mentioned before adding quietly, "Your hair."

"Uh, yeah," she smiled as she lifted her hand to touch it, "I wasn't really expecting to be Marked and introduced to the House of Night."

She shook her head, "No…it's just that. My grandmother has a lavender farm and your hair looks just like the plants that she grows."

Thisbe pursed her lips, "Hm, cool."

A brief smile came over her lips but Zoey didn't return it. Her eyes were too focused on the center of her forehead. Thisbe would have brushed it off if she didn't have this strange feeling. She knew it must be weird for the girl to see someone else with a filled in Mark, she had been the only one in history, but there was something else to it. Brief bits of sentences and emotions broke off into the air and flew across her skin like dust in the wind but Be ignored it. She had always been good at reading people but what was going into her mind was not simple reading. More like a TV Mini Series it was.

"I was wondering if you could walk me through the morning schedule? Are you a morning showerer cause if you are that's cool? I prefer showering before I go to sleep," Thisbe spoke as she shoved her ball of clothes into one of the drawers and then grabbed a pair of long mismatched socks from her underwear drawer. She realized she left everything opened before and thought it best she closed it.

"I like taking morning showers," she answered quietly but the way her voice worked made it sound like she wasn't talking about showers at all. Thisbe could have sworn she heard her say _My best friend just died. I'm not ready for all of this._

"Cool, that'll work," she nodded as she plopped down into her unmade bed and began tugging on her socks. "Maybe when you're done getting ready you can show me where we get breakfast, I'm starved."

Zoey seemed to snap out of something and she nodded with a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth. It wasn't real but she was trying and Thisbe guessed that was all she could ask for, "Sure."

When she had vanished into the bathroom Be rushed through the large closet that was split exactly down the middle with her stuff and Zo's and she immediately found her bag that smelled strangely like sage and threw on one of the blazers. She opened the bag up to see a quick fistful of sage was tossed in to mask the scent of the bud hidden in the gusher's box. She reached around and found the phone that had yet to be turned on. She did that and while she waited for the old thing to roar to life she hid the box in her underwear drawer along with the sage so that her bag could be empty, she wanted to carry it around incase she needed stuff to put away or something.

The phone came on and the first thing she did was find Ram's already programmed number and went to texting him: Babe, I miss u so much. I've got this mentor I didn't meet yet but she's cool. She hooked up my room, u wud love it. My roommate is kinda weird but idk her yet. I'm pretty sure her roommate before died or something but w.e. I miss u. I miss u so much it hurts. I love u and I'll call u after class.

She put the phone on silent and tossed it into her bag and then got the strange feeling she should add one of the new sketchbooks and some of the pencils into it too. She was about to clothes the thing but then got a brief whiff of sage mixed with weed and decided to take in a deep breath of the old heavenly scent. She missed her home and she knew people always said garbage like "everything just takes some getting used to" but she didn't believe it. She would never like it at the House of Night. She would never enjoy one second no matter who she met or got a long with. Home wasn't a word she could use anywhere but in Pyramus' arms. That was for sure.

The bathroom door opened and there was Zoey in a towel getting ready for the day. The steam wafted out of the bathroom and Thisbe was impressed to see the tattoos flowed down her shoulders and possibly her spine too. She didn't make a habit of staring at the girl though she was beautiful. She had dark features that distinctly made her seem Native American but Be didn't want to jump any guns. She had been told she looked Native American once or twice but she was proud of her Spanish heritage and didn't want to claim anything that wasn't hers.

"I'll be ready in just one second, okay?" Redbird questioned as she grabbed her clothes and reentered the bathroom.

"Sure, whatever," Thisbe waved as she flopped backward onto her bed. She didn't need to ask Zo if she smoked weed because it was obvious she didn't. The girl was so wound tight she probably didn't do anything bad at all but Be shook her head, there she was pre-judging again.

Zoey opened the bathroom door once again and though she thought the girl was done she appeared to be incorrect again. Redbird plopped onto her make up chair and began applying foundation, which was the promise of at least another five minutes of waiting. Thisbe wanted to roll her eyes or maybe huff but she knew that would not make for a good time with her new roommate. Plus, what did she have to rush for? It wasn't like she had to meet anyone.

"Oh, fuck!" Thisbe shouted as she bolted upward.

"What is it?!" Zoey stood and searched around frantically in a panic.

"I'm supposed to meet my Mentor as soon as I wake up. I hate to not get to know you but she's already done all this shit for me I can't make her wait," Be rushed as she began toward the door.

"Oh, you scared the poop out of me," she sighed as she plopped back onto her seat.

Be tried to smile warmly as she shoved on her converses, "Sorry about that. I'll catch you for lunch or something. Uh, have a good one!"

"Yeah, good luck on your first day and don't take the stares personal," Zoey warned, looking strangely sheepish.

Thisbe's brows furrowed as she shook her head, "I never do."

She left the room and entered the hallway that was obviously much fuller than when Aphrodite had escorted her through it. Be took in a deep breath and decided she would make nice another time and not when her Mentor was waiting. She was already half way out of the girl's dorm when two chicks that seemed to be joined at the hip froze immediately and shouted.

"Oh my—"

"—Goddess!"


	7. Chapter 7

The two girls had their faces in the same shade of shocked. They looked like the kind of twins from interracial couples that got the same face just a different set of other features. They were the same height, same curvy body type, same full lips, and the same large eyes. From what she could tell their differences were only superficial. One girl's skin was tawny with pink undertones while the other was terra-cotta with coral. They both had wavy long hair though one's was blonde like sunbeams and the other's was black like the growing night sky. Blue eyes, brown eyes, and other things in between worked them out into different people but that didn't change what they were doing.

Each girl was staring at Thisbe as if she had walked out of a nightmare.

"Name's Thisbe," she tried to smile but her face was twisted in confusion as she glanced around and watched every girl in the room slowly stop what they were doing to focus on her. "I've got to go."

She walked around the couple and heard their hurried whispers to one another, "Is that Zoey's new roommate?"

"Jeez, what the hell is happening here?"

"How is that possible?"

"Where's Queen Damien when you need him?"

"Stevie Rae would be mad at us for just staring at her like that."

Be opened the door and slipped out of the room, deeply annoyed by the fact that everyone that had been silent began to speak once they were sure she had left. She didn't want to hold it against anyone though. Yes, it was a big deal. Suddenly in the world the first filled-in-Mark fledgling had arrived and it was obvious she had been doing something right because of the fancy additions. Thisbe could only assume she had been doing some great and crazy shit so how could the rest of school not be surprised?

Don't take the stares personal, Zoey had said.

I never do, Thisbe responded.

"You!"

Nearly out of her skin she jumped at the sound of the voice on her shoulder and the sudden grasp around her waist. She pulled away harshly and turned with the intention of hitting who ever had grasped her but the sight behind her made her freeze. It was a tall woman—more like girl since her youthful glow gave off the appearance that she was no older than fifteen—that had a smile beyond belief. Her skin was beautiful sepia that held all colors of rose and gold at her smiling cheeks. Her tattoos spread across her forehead and down her temples like beautiful brushstrokes flowing in swirls. She had long black locs that fell down to her waist and bright amber eyes that glowed like the sun. She wore a cute little white dress with a blue peter pan collar and the symbol for Nyx right over her heart.

She was beautiful with gleaming white teeth and she was aiming every ounce of her happiness right in Thisbe's direction. She didn't have to be introduced to know exactly who she was. The woman opened her arms and wrapped Thisbe in them once more as she excitedly shouted, "I'm your Mentor!"

"Hey, hey!" Be responded, patting the woman's back lightly as she tried to pull away, "Uh, nice to meet you, Kehinde! But I'm not much of a hugger."

"Oh. Sorry," she blushed as she pulled back and dropped her hands as she put on the appearance of a super elegant adult vampyre while stating, "I am Professor Kehinde. Your new Mentor."

Thisbe let out a small chuckled as she watched the gleam in her eyes grow crazier and crazier, "Alright, you can go back to normal."

"Awesome!" She grinned as her shoulders relaxed into her normal stance and began leading her away, "If I can be honest you're my first protégé. I've been teaching for five years but you're the first one that Nyx has blessed me with and I really can't stop myself from being so excited!"

"Well, I appreciate your excitement…and everything you've done for me already. The room is hella dope," Be nodded, following the woman down the crowding hallway.

"Thank you. I wasn't sure if you'd actually like it. My affinity doesn't always make everything clear," she frowned slightly as she gazed downward.

"Uh, affinity?" Thisbe questioned.

It seemed then Kehinde brightened up from what ever strange thought she had procured earlier and instead took to enjoying the fact she would be helping Thisbe with her first question, "An affinity is a goddess given gift that is beyond talent or natural ability. Often it is something we never thought we could do in our human lives and it is only after we have been Marked that the goddess allows these truly remarkable gifts to unfold."

"So some people could have more than one?" Be continued, her brows furrowed in focus as the woman lead her out of the building and out to the night air that was colder than she remembered.

"Yes. The new leader of the dark daughters has the affinity to control the five elements where as the old leader had the affinity of seeing visions of the future. Neferet, our High Priestess, has an affinity for communicating with our feline friends and another that allows her to speed up the natural healing process of humans, vampyres, and other creatures alike," she smiled as she explained.

Thisbe looked around to the beautiful walking paths and the other buildings that made up the entire school. A large brick wall surrounded the entire estate, separating the school so that it seemed like its own little world. A large statue in the middle was of a woman with her hands raised toward the moon and Be recalled vaguely that it looked much like Nyx that she had seen in the cave and somehow felt that she was correct without asking. Be shook her head and continued with the conversation, "What's your affinity?"

"Oh me?" Kehinde blushed, "I have an affinity for art which is how I was able to know you were coming and who you were and what you might like. Through Nyx I can use any medium to create lovely pieces and sometimes these pieces allow me to predict the future, see what's coming, or who is coming next. It doesn't happen often so I haven't discussed with anyone how some of these things come true. Nyx sometimes works through dreams so when people ask I tell them I find out things that way."

"Why are you telling me this big secret?" Thisbe wondered aloud, watching the woman instead of the beauty that surrounded her.

It was then that the joy that naturally sprang from Kehinde dimmed and the seriousness of her expression added years to her face that could not be understood, "I just have a feeling that strange things are coming. I guess I just want us to have a strong bond before everything get's taken away."

"Whoa," Be shook her head as she tried to get through the waves of TV drama crashing against her from her Mentor's words, "Shit, what does that all mean?"

Kehinde chuckled, "It means I'm getting way ahead of myself like I always do. Come on, class begins soon."

"Shouldn't I get my schedule?"

"Please, I am your schedule," she grinned, "Nyx has shown me you will have an incredible affinity for art yourself and so I have made sure that you will be at my side all day."

Thisbe would have felt weird about that if she didn't already like her Mentor and not just because of all the stuff she gave her. Be genuinely did like Kehinde and strange times or not she wanted to get close to the woman and she did not want to let her down. The only trouble was she was starving and she needed to get something to eat fast, "You think our time together could lead to a kitchen area cause I'm about to eat my own leg."

Her Mentor smirked as they got to a huge building that looked like a semi-miniature airplane hangar. Behind that she thought she could see a greenhouse but she ignored it for the time being since she had to focus on why she didn't answer her not so subtle food question. Kehinde opened the large, thick door and guided Be into what looked like a long coat hallway that stretched sideways across the entire length of the building and was hardly lit. It was thick enough for two people to walk side by side the whole way down and hooks lined the walls above cubbies that were barley used. An excitement began to bubble around them as the woman opened the next door.

The aroma of magnificent baked goodies hit Thisbe, stunning her into mouth-watering zombification. But that wasn't it. The place was huge! Her first thought of an airplane hangar was correct because the ceiling stretched way high up and extended little more than half of the length of a football field. It had an almost dome shape and bright lights lined the top middle along with some of the sides. The different "classes" she found were separated in different sections of cloistered tables and students. The cooking section was definitely set to the end of the place where large stoves and other appliances rested against the back wall.

"This place is relatively new and we're all trying to get used to the set up but we like it. No one gets in anyone's way and we all share the space. If one student wanders into another's class that's just fine, none of the teachers are possessive. We all like to share," Kehinde explained, "And we especially love to share the goodies the culinary class cooks up. Wanna grab a bite?"

It took only a second for her to realize her response. Thisbe swallowed hard then grinned happily, "Fuck yeah!"


	8. Chapter 8

"El Madrid, it's nice to see ya. It's really nice to…be here. I love you all."

Thisbe worked absentmindedly in a small group of ten kids in one of the sections at the middle of the large building. This was Kehinde's class, which was made up by a bunch of fifth formers—Neferet had explained that she is third former which is equivalent to freshman—that didn't really talk. They all worked on sketchpads with things like charcoals, expensive pens, and fancy pencils. Be found it cool how K ran her class so loosely and yet so in control. They could sing, talk, draw anything they wanted and she didn't hover around them like those teachers in the movies. She explained that every month she would teach them about great artists and new mediums and things of that nature. They would have to do one project at the end but for the most part they did their own thing and she enjoyed it.

"Stale beer, fat fucks, smoked out, cowpokes. Sequined mountain ladies. I love you all."

Another thing she enjoyed was the chance to be on her own and do her own thing. At the beginning of the class everyone introduced themselves to Thisbe and she to them. They stared at her Mark and asked about it but since she was just as clueless as they were they left her on her own. The rest of the period went on with treats from the culinary class and the soft voice of Frank.

"Put your arms around me, fiddly digits, itchy britches. I love you all."

Frank (just Frank) was a cool guy that had changed his name to his favorite character in almost any movie. He was a tall, pale, thinly angled boy that hid his body and hair under loose black clothes and a tight black beanie. He had a deep and mellow voice much like that of one of his namesakes and was a casual singer of movie soundtracks. It seemed that he did this often because no one seemed to mind and she enjoyed it herself. He didn't talk much but he had something about him that made Thisbe feel like he was already cool enough to sing with him.

She knew the song and along with another girl joined him for the next part as she worked, "I love you all, I love you all, I love you all."

Her eyes glanced upward briefly to see Crystal Fairy (another movie named adolescent)'s nearly clear eyes looking to Frank as if she were waiting for him to recognize that she had helped him sing. He was too focused. She lowered her eyes sadly and continued with her sketch. The girl was heavy set but dressed in cute flowing clothes that made her match her name. She had similar tan skin to Thisbe so she guessed the girl was Spanish or some sort of mix. Her hair was light brown and long but around her head was a braided crown in which she planted flowers that could be real or fake.

"Washrooms smell, they could be cleaner—stench of cigarettes and stale urea. I love you all."

From the table stood a guy with fiery skin like sard and blonde hair on his head but a brown goatee. He looked like a tough guy with loads of muscles and dressed like one of those guys that would never do art and was more into fighting. Be was happy she was wrong about him. His name was Mac but that was all she could tell about him. She watched him walk down the aisle to the culinary side where two other guys and a girl met up with him and they quietly spoke.

"Prodigal son waits to return to where the dogs play pool. I love you all."

Next along the table was a brown haired and very chubby, and obviously very self-conscious guy named Brody. He had red cheeks and porcelain skin and flighty green eyes that roamed from face to face as if to make sure no one was directly looking at him. Then there was Kylie who looked exactly like the Jenner because it was apparent she had made it her lifetime goal to imitate her. There was Joey who was an average white guy except for the nervous twitch that sent his right eye into little spasms. Santanico looked just like the girl from the new From Dusk Til Dawn series and she would know because she and Ram were obsessed and took the famous last names as their own. She was sure Lana took the name from Ms. Del Rey because of her similar style and make up and appearance. Reed was reminiscent of the dude from Criminal Minds—and would not stop staring at Kehinde—and last was Cordelia who dressed like a princess and had the long blonde hair to match.

"I love you all. I love you all. I love you all"

"That was great, Frank. Do you think you could sing something a little lighter?" Lana asked with a small smile on her lips. It was clear they didn't associate much but still she was sweet.

Frank froze. His focus was totally and completely on his picture but suddenly he was paralyzed as if the mention of his name made him stop. He swallowed hard and then glanced up briefly before beginning to sing, "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream."

"Ahh! Yes!" she squealed, much to Crystal Fairy's chagrin.

"I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."

Thisbe shook her head with a smile and then looked down to her picture that appeared to be finished. Her eyes focused on the face in front of her that she longed for so much. It was Pyramus, of course, and he was beautiful.

"And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem."

It was strange though. She never before had a knack for art. She liked doing crafts but she could never make anything so stunning. The thing before her looked almost exactly like a picture taken in black and white. Thisbe had to pat herself on the back; it was perfect for a first try.

"But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

Yet something was off. His eyes looked so real and vibrant and yet there was pain behind them. It was the kind of pain like when they were saying goodbye. It was the kind that she knew he was feeling deep inside of himself but would never admit or release. She was sad to see that in his eyes. Why would she draw something like that?

"But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

Be took a deep breath and then reached over to the corner of her little section where she found her half eaten blondie brownie. She picked it up with the little napkin intact and took a bite that melted inside of her mouth. These guys had a crazy talent for deliciousness. The bite actually made her feel better. But still there was something off.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream."

She gazed back at the picture again and stared into his eyes.

"I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar to me."

Something was wrong with the picture. It wasn't complete.

"And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem."

She lowered the brownie back down and picked up the pencil again to focus on Ram's face once more. He was gorgeous, that was true, but something wasn't right. She took in a deep breath and began drawing once again across his features.

"But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once."

She lost her breath. Her addition. Across his face, a giant gash.

"Upon a dream."


	9. Chapter 9

When the class ended Thisbe watched most of the students shuffle out of the large building as if in a sad daze. She got the feeling no one wanted to join the rest of the school with the odd tension ebbing and flowing like glowing waves on a rocky shore. Be was thankful she didn't have to leave just yet and could spend more time with Kehinde talking about this and that.

"K, wanna check out this shit I drew?" Thisbe questioned as she made her way to her Mentor that sat deeply engrossed in whatever she herself was sketching at.

"Yeah, sure," she mumbled in a distracted tone before erasing something and then shutting her book. Her eyes were glassy but she quickly hid each expression away as she stood from the table and put on her award winning smile, "Let's have a look, shall we?"

Thisbe returned the mouth stretch as she took a seat on the long table beside Kehinde and opened up the first page, "This is my soul mate, Pyramus. He doesn't really have that long gash. I don't know why I added that but each time I wanted to erase it my hand just wouldn't let me."

"I know what you mean," she frowned slightly, "But this…this looks brilliant. None of my third formers have any skill like this and here you are with no training at all. Nyx was right."

"I've been meaning to ask. What else did Nyx say about me?" Thisbe suddenly questioned.

Kehinde's expression turned soft as she dipped her head away and motioned for Be to follow her, "Come with me. I want to show you all the things I made about you."

"Oh?"

Be felt thoroughly excited to see what could have been revealed about her in such a limited medium. With writing you could capture years on pages but with art? Everything was a fixed image. She wondered what could have been explained about her. K smiled as she began walking back toward that closet hallway with the cubbies at the entrance, "Tell me more about Pyramus, will you?"

"Sure," she grinned as she held onto the necklace between her hands, "He's incredible. He knows me better than anyone else in the entire universe. We met when we were five and have never been apart since."

Kehinde paused halfway to the door and looked with that serious face that aged her again, "No…really. Tell me about him. Tell me what you love."

Thisbe nodded and closed her eyes for a second before taking in a deep breath and then speaking while they both began to walk once more, "He's got these dynamite green fucking eyes. These things. Everyone in his family has them but his are different. Everyone else has these cat eyes…always watching, judging, thinking and his. They're like…I don't know. Sweet, light, like mossy rain. Everything in the world could be falling apart but I see those eyes and I know shit can't touch us. Not ever. He's Bengali so he's got this dark, rich skin that I adore. Sometimes when I'm mad at him or someone's got beef with him he says, 'Is it cause I'm black?' and everyone laughs cause…he is black. It's funny. He's…so funny sometimes though he's the most serious person I know. He looks so tough but anything can get him down. He doesn't hurt me…like ever and when he does he takes it harder than I do. We get or make or do things for each other all the time. Little presents and shit. No reason. We just get it."

They were in the dimly lit space by now and Be had decided to stop speaking then. She wanted to focus on where Kehinde was taking her because it seemed like Narnia wasn't too far off. Like she had noticed before the long hallway went the entire length of the building but it was clear only ¼ of the cubbies were in use. She found it cool how they were under lock and key and she knew that who ever owned the cubby had the key themselves. It was a secret place to hide things and keep things safe and she doubted anyone else in the school had that kind of security.

"Do you have anyone in your life?" Be asked awkwardly, feeling rude for taking up so much of the conversation.

"No," K shook her head shyly, her eyes focused on where they were heading, "I had a boyfriend when I was a fledgling but he didn't make the Change."

"Wow, that fucking sucks," Thisbe grumbled as she considered the kind of heart break that must have surrounded her Mentor, "You must be happy you got me as a protégé since I'm pretty much guaranteed to make it, thanks to this funny little Mark."

"Nothing in life is guaranteed," K whispered, "Even if you do make the Change. Anything can happen. Anyone can hurt you."

"You're morose as fuck aren't you?" it wasn't really a question but Be tried to laugh and play it off. She threw her arm around the woman's shoulders and squeezed them gently, "Come on, let's cheer up a little."

Kehinde chuckled softly as she shook her head as if to get rid of the darkness floating behind her eyes, "You're right. I guess my nerves are all over the place. I was so afraid you wouldn't like me."

"That's crazy. So far you're the only person I actually do like. I'm glad you swiped me before Neferet could. I mean she's cool and all but I'm really happy to have you."

"Me too," she nodded before stopping almost all the way at the end and pulling out a key, "This is another huge secret of mine. I've hidden some of my work all around the school for safekeeping and this is just one of my places. This is where I kept all the things I have for you."

Thisbe's eyes grew wide as she watched K pull first out of the drawer a six inch statue of her and Ram dancing. She grasped it immediately and looked at it as she tried to contain her joy, "This is the coolest fucking thing I have ever seen. Shit this is amazing. My God! Can I keep it? When we get married we can have it in our house and shit and it'll be so cute. Everyone will love it."

"Of course," Kehinde laughed as she pulled out a small folder of drawings. She began to rifle through them with Be staring over her shoulder and Be was totally impressed. She knew that she herself was good but her Mentor was on an unstoppable level, "This is your locket here that got me thinking about you liking space. Here is another one of you and Pyramus…I'm sorry it's of an intimate moment. It just came to me."

"Hey, you're bound to see my boobs as my Mentor anyway," Thisbe shrugged.

"This is of you as a child playing in the forest. That got me thinking you might like nature. Here is you sleeping on your couch and I noticed you were covered all in comfortable blankets so I figured you liked having soft things. This is just a glimpse of your room and, again I'm sorry Pyramus is naked here but this let me know what an incredible slob you are."

She let out a teasing smile and Be laughed with her as she lightly pushed her arm, "Hey, watch your fucking mouth."

"I don't think you and the High Priestess in training are going to get along with that," she joked.

Thisbe glanced away and considered their not so warm morning, "I don't think we're gonna get along at all."

"I don't think so either," she sighed, flipping to the next page, "This is you and her in the middle of a heated debate."

"Shit do I have extended tats here?" Be mused.

Kehinde nodded proudly, "Why yes you do. The rest are just miscellaneous items. This one is by far my favorite though."

Thisbe's face went blood red as she watched the stunning watercolor image of her hitting the bong like a fucking champ, "Shit, I was hoping I could tell you about that little habit myself."

"You know, the House of Night is pretty lax on the consumption of alcohol. I'm pretty sure you won't get in too much trouble if you get caught. I suggest though, you don't make a habit of other professors finding out. Am I understood?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," Thisbe nodded, "Why do you think Nyx gave you all this about me? I mean, this is pretty detailed."

There was that frown again, "You asked me to cheer up, Thisbe, let's save that conversation for another day."

"Alright, you're the boss. Let's smoke some weed about it, eh?"

"Oh, Thisbe."

"Come on, we need a pick me up."


	10. Chapter 10

Thisbe spent the rest of the few periods before lunch working on her sketchpad. Though she had wanted to get to know everyone that came in she felt a strange pressure pushing her toward creativity instead of hospitality. Seeing Kehinde's massive skill with every medium she could get her hands on gave Thisbe the desire to try new forms of art but she just couldn't bring herself to try it. She thought about working with clay but was afraid to get her hands dirty. She thought about painting but was afraid to waste expensive materials for just fooling around. Everything else was too complicated for her to wrap her mind around and so she stuck with pencil, charcoal, and pen—which worked out great for her.

There was no definite structure to anything she made but she made it. There was an eye, a muscle, feathers that might belong to a wing. She even got a little crazy with her red pen and created some weird tattoo that banded across the entirety of the page.

It was all so weird.

"Well, Thisbe, will you be joining me for lunch on your first day?"

Her eyes jumped upward to Kehinde that worked on packing up the utensils left out by the class before, "I want to but I think I should try and see what's up with my roommate. I know we're gonna fight and shit but I still have to give her a chance, you know?"

"I think that sounds very wise," she nodded as she clapped off whatever dust was on her hands.

"Yeah?" Thisbe smiled as she tied up the top of her bag and slipped the sac over her shoulder, "Well, regardless of wisdom I'm still gonna need you to check up on me in ten minutes to make sure I'm not about to bust some skulls."

A warm laugh drifted from Kehinde's lips as she motioned for Be to follow her, "I'll do just that. Though, honestly, I much enjoy the thought of you and the Priestess in Training having an altercation. It would establish the pecking order faster than an actual vote."

Thisbe's brows furrowed as she gazed at her Mentor that appeared to have changed before her eyes. She had seemed like such a happy-go-lucky, go-by-the-rules, let-peace-be-thy-road type girl but it seemed already there was so much to her that needed figuring out. Be smiled as she followed K out of the large building, "You're a fucking riot, you know that? What do you mean by establishing the pecking order?"

"Well, look at it this way. When Zoey arrived at the House of Night with her Mark filled in it took less than a month for her to completely change the largest student body organization we have—the Dark Daughters. She impeached the previous leader, took her position, appointed all of her friends as authorities in the group, and completely reorganized everything. Now here you are with your filled in Mark, which can only mean one thing," Kehinde paused as she slowly looped her arm around Thisbe's shoulders.

"I spoke to Nyx, K," she whispered, her eyes low to the ground and her voice very quiet for fear that the others shuffling on their way to the same place would hear.

For some reason her Mentor didn't respond the same way she thought she would. She expected shock and confusion and wonder and mysticism and instead she got same look everyone gets when the show they've been binge watching for three days has a "previously on" addition. She smiled briefly as she nodded her head, "That was my first painting of you. Would you tell me what happened?"

"Yeah," Be nodded, "She looked so fucking sad and I'd be too. She said she saw the future and shit and there would be death and destruction, pain and heart break, her children turning away from her and the ones that stay'll be executed. And then she said something weird. She said she sent strong children to defeat the evil but then she said it'll take more than strength…it'll take sweetness and understanding that only I can bring. Which is weird cause I'm not sweet and I try to understand but I don't take well to ignorance. Anyway, blah blah blah, there are two paths that'll come and when that time is here it'll be my choice what actions I take."

Thisbe watched Kehinde's stoic face absorb the information. Her features were still but her eyes had some sort of acceptance as if everything Be explained made some sort of sense. She took in a deep breath and as they reached the next building she whispered against her ear, "Keep this between us. Promise?"

"Promise," she nodded without a second thought, "Hey, there's Neferet."

"Professor Kehinde, Thisbe! I have been waiting to see you both all day," she smiled warmly, "How has your very special day been going?"

"Wonderful!"

Whoa. It was like Be had wandered into the Wizard of Tecnicolor. Both Neferet and Kehinde had transformed into overly exaggerated forms of themselves right before her eyes. Neferet had become a very austere and polite priestess while Kehinde had turned into an almost exaggerated kind of little kid. What happened to the Neferet she had met super early that morning? What happened to the K she had enjoyed half the night? It was like they had been swapped with what ever they imagined the other person wanted to see. It was insane. It was totally disturbing.

"It is just as I suspected! Nyx has blessed Thisbe with an incredible affinity for art that I look forward to helping nurture!" she screamed so loud Be had to press her finger into her ear to suppress the ringing.

Neferet smiled so falsely that it looked like her skin would crack into giant pieces, "How wonderful? I look forward to seeing some of your work and I also look forward to having you join me tomorrow in class. I don't want you feeling as though you can miss class any time you both decide. I might need to spend some special time with you to catch you up on everything you have missed."

"Cool," Thisbe shrugged, feeling as though she might actually enjoy spending time with her without that fakeness she so easily put on when ever anyone else was near.

However Kehinde did not seem to share the same acceptance, "Oh, nonsense, High Priestess. You're so busy keeping the school in tip-top shape! I don't want you wasting any time because of me. I'll be sure to update her so when she returns to class she will be on the same page as everyone else."

"Well done."

Neferet's words were cold and dry and had brief pulses of anger inside of them but Thisbe didn't care. She was happy that K decided to take the initiative and guide her away from the situation. There was obviously a hidden beef between them she did not want to get in the middle of. And plus she was starving! She needed to scarf down some food immediately.

"This here is the student lunchroom, my darling Thisbe."

In her mind Kehinde made a grand sweeping motion but there was no way she would do that unless it was to unveil something truly spectacular. The kids "lunchroom" seemed to come out of Harry Potter or something of the sort. It was a huge round room with high arching ceilings that looked Victorian in design (or whatever time period ceilings came from, she wasn't too sure) and the tables were positioned with booth like seating all around a giant centerpiece with the statue of Nyx in the middle with food all around it. Something told her it was for ceremonial purposes.

"You can always join me in the faculty lunch room," K sighed as if the place the adults ate wasn't just as amazing as where they stood.

"I might have to. Remember, ten minutes. No excuses," Thisbe gulped.

Kehinde placed a warm hand on her arm, "I will be here."

She smiled once and then disappeared back into the hallway. So many faces milled about the giant room and the ceiling only worked to amplify the sound they all created. She found it odd and scary that most of the students had long, blonde hair and were primarily white. She didn't like the idea of that. It was like one differently raced person for every 100 pure white American. A lot of people stopped what they were doing to stare at her Mark but she didn't mind that. She minded the monotony of Western Beauty Standards she was drowning in.

"Uh, hey. Thisbe!"

Be turned around to see Zoey coming into the lunchroom with a tall guy that looked to possibly be her boyfriend. She smiled and waved her hand as she walked over to them, "Shit, it's good to see you. Why are there so many white people?"

It seemed like the color from both their faces dropped. Their faces scrunched the way those with internalized racism do and they took in a deep breath to laugh it off. Did Zoey not see it? She was among a dangerously low group of differently raced people? Wasn't she mad?

"I don't know about that," she blushed, looking up to her white boyfriend that had an amused expression, "I think it's fine. I mean it's not all like that. I'm here, you're here, and one of my friend's is Jamaican-American. Plus we're in Tulsa! How many minorities do you think you can find here?"

Bing.

Thisbe surprised her internal desire to scream. She didn't like the word "minorities" and she hated the excuse "my friend is insert-race-here." The fact that people of different races had to be called "minorities" to constantly remind white people that they were the "majority" and therefore "better than everyone else" irked her to no end. And just because she was there and Zoey was there didn't make it okay. The sad fact was she could probably guess who the Jamaican friend was.

She swallowed hard and tried to make nice, "I don't think that's correct. Tulsa is made up of fifteen percent Black people, fourteen percent Spanish people, and five percent Native American people. Shouldn't this fucking school reflect that?"

"Maybe that would work in a public school but here at the House of Night we don't decide who gets Marked," came the lover-boy, "Nyx does."

The image of that sad woman came to mind and suddenly Thisbe got a sick feeling inside of herself. She nodded her head solemnly as she looked around the room again, "I'm starting to see that. Uh, I'm Thisbe Gecko."

He straightened up and suddenly became this suave and immaculate guy that extended his hand toward her with a very well mannered smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Erik Night."

"Cool," Thisbe nodded as she tapped his hand and looked to Zoey, "Can we grab the grub?"

Erik chuckled while giving Zoey a quick peck on the cheek before he lovingly added: "Good luck."

"I'll need it," she grumbled before forcing a smile back in Thisbe's direction, "Yeah, let's get the grub."

I hate you, Thisbe wanted to shout but she reserved it for a deep breath and instead silently followed Zoey to get lunch. They didn't talk but Be was realizing quickly she didn't really need to. From Zoey—much like from Neferet and some passing strangers—a fountain of garbled information sputtered and spewed into Thisbe despite her wanting it to stop. She didn't understand it but like Nef had told her to do, she embraced what came at her. There was worry about the Dark Daughters, Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, her Grandma, lies told to her friends and Erik, and Erik himself. There was something about another guy that she liked—something with an H. They shared an impossibly strong bond that was a direct violation of the rules. Hm, it seemed to Be she could use that to lure the girl into being okay with her weed.

Once they got their lunch though they walked over to a booth and Zoey began talking, "I know it's just salad and not like rice and beans or what ever but it's actually really filling. Around here you'll find that it's almost impossible to find any unhealthy snacks. They want us to stay fit and eat good food so we're more likely to make the Change."

"Cool," she nodded angrily.

At the table Thisbe found that she was correct. The Jamaican friend was the one she had met earlier and once again they were gawking at her. There were two other boys there sitting together and then she and Zoey made up the rest of the group when they sat down. The introductions began…by Zo.

"This is Erin and Shaunee but they usually call each other Twin. You'll find even though Shaunee is a cappuccino with milk colored girl and Erin a blonde haired, blue eyed beauty they are scary alike," Zoey beamed.

Thibse couldn't help but to choke a little on one of her croutons. She took in a deep breath and hid her rage with an even tone, "What's Erin's skin color like?"

"What?" the "Twins" asked at the same time.

Be looked to all the group, "Well, Zoey, you gave a very in depth simile for Shaunee's skin color. What's one for Erin?"

"Um, white?"

There it was again. That laugh as if everything was so amusing and Thisbe was just being ridiculous. They were the worst kind of racist. The kind that pretended they weren't with pretty metaphors and acceptance of the world around them. It was so weird.

"I just," Thisbe shook her head and decided to play their game and get ignorant, "I mean I just think it's like funny that because she's like black you didn't want to say the word 'black' but you still called her 'colored'?"

"What," Shaunee's face fell. There was no twinning there.

"You didn't catch that?" Be asked as she itched the side of her hair, "She called you a cappuccino with milk _colored_ girl while Erin is just blonde haired, blue eyed _beauty_. Am I the only one confused?"

She added a short laugh that seemed to be her downfall. The others joined in to get rid of the tension rising in the air that certainly belonged. One of the guys leaned forward to explain away, "Obviously Zoey didn't call Shaunee 'colored.' It's clear she was just using circumlocution to avoid being offensive."

Thisbe was stunned.

"Circumlocution means-"

"I know what circumlocution means," she interrupted, "using many words when few would do in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive. Which is like weird cause…does Shaunee's culture need to be, like, evaded? I mean, she's not food."

"What!" Erin suddenly scrambled to place her arm around the girl's shoulder, "We are not evading her culture! There's no way we can. She's the whitest girl here. She's a cute little Oreo with sweet yummy filling."

Another laugh of agreement went around the table but there was hostility in Zoey's eyes that Thisbe loved. This was where the fighting spawned and she was completely justified. In Shaunee's eyes was a sliver of hurt that had only been amplified by the use of the snack. It was almost like she could feel the girl's pain whispering: _I'm not a food._ Thisbe nodded: _No, you're a human._

"Anyway," Zoey nearly snapped with her big girl voice, "That's Damien, our resident gay boy, and his boyfriend Jac-"

"What the fuck?" Thisbe couldn't laugh.

"What's the problem this time?" Damien questioned, growing upset as if Thisbe were mad at him for being gay.

"Who introduces people like that?" she shook her head, "'our resident gay boy'? What does that even mean? Why did you declare his sexuality like that like that's all he is? You didn't call Erik your 'resident heterosexual.' You know what? Please go around the table and give me your interpretation of everyone's skin color and their sexual orientation, please! I'll start. I'm bisexual and ochre with some copper to me! Now you go!"

"Fine! I will," Zoey fired back, "Jack Twist and Damien Maslin, two peach totally gay boys."

Wrong.

Jack had a khaki with sapphire undertones complexion and was a screaming pansexual while Damien was a warm fawn with bronze undertones and definitely homosexual.

"Shaunee Cole and Erin Bates, two straight ladies. One cappuccino with milk colored girl and one cream."

Dead wrong.

And not just with their skin colors.

While Shaunee was heterosexual…boy, did Erin's eyes have a story to tell!

Bi-curious? Maybe full lesbian? Who knew what the future had for that one.

"Are you happy now?" Zoey hissed.

Thisbe rolled her eyes then looked to the quiet people sitting around the table, "Are you?"

"Why did Nyx send you here?" Zoey questioned aloud.

Thisbe shrugged, "Probably not to be your fucking friend."

"Thisbe! My protégé!"

It was the only voice she wanted to hear.

"Professor Kehinde's her mentor?"

"How can that be?"

"Zoey, Erin, Shaunee, Damien, Jack, it's always a pleasure to see you!" she smiled so warmly, "How are you treating my lovely Thisbe?"

"More like—"

"—how is she treating us."

Thisbe made the motion with her head for them to escape as she grabbed her food and began to stand, "Things are going just as expected. I just don't understand why the school is so fucking white?"

"Come _on_ ," Jack suddenly chimed in.

"Guys, we should have a little respect for Professor Kehinde and Thisbe," Zoey suddenly spoke up with that false smile stuck on her lips, "Thisbe just has a…strange way of looking at things."

" _Thisbe_ ," Thisbe spoke, "isn't a fucking racist! Or a fucking close-minded asshole!"

The group suddenly stood and began shouting nonsense with no real intelligence and clambering toward her though K was in the middle, "Guys, guys! Sit down!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

Neferet's voice rang across the entire lunchroom as she glided to the group as if on a cloud. Thisbe was pained to see that everyone in the room had their eyes on her and her Mark and the fact that she was in the middle of a dispute with the Golden Girl. She wanted to punch someone.

"As soon as she stepped into the lunchroom she started causing tr-"

Neferet's hand rose to silence Zoey, "Please, from Thisbe."

"I just pointed out that it isn't fair that the school isn't racially proportional to the rest of the city or the country. I also pointed out that for a High Priestess in Training, Zoey is remarkably close-minded," Thisbe explained.

"Zoey is this true?" Neferet asked angrily.

Zoey was silent as a waterfall emerged balanced behind her eyes. She swallowed roughly, "You're _my_ Mentor Neferet. You're supposed to believe _me_."

"I believe what is right," she corrected, "So far your council has proved to be neither authentic, faithful, wise, empathetic, or sincere. If I were you I would consider why that is. And Professor Kehinde."

All eyes turned to her, "Yes?"

"If you can't control your fledgling it might be best if she were put in more capable hands."

With that Neferet strolled away, leaving the room to erupt into gossiping voices. Zoey's crew flopped down and began to angrily whisper curses and what "Stevie Rae would do." But Thisbe couldn't focus on them. Kehinde's eyes were watering and far away and sad and dark and Be knew it was all her fault. With food in one hand she looped her arm around K's shoulder's to guide her away from the scene and out of the lunchroom, whispering to her Mentor, "I will never let her take me away. I will never let you go."


End file.
